Writer @IrishExaminer, author of Val's Kitchen, Bread on the Table and Irish Bread. Fermentation fanatic and teacher of fermenting and plant based cooking.

October 30, 2011

The best and easiest spelt bread ever - no kneading!!!

If I say so myself.. I switched to spelt earlier this year when a friend gave me some bread that he made, a three day supply. He said to try it and just see how I felt. I'd been eating white bread, and decent looking brown bread forever. I'd often feel like I was going to explode afterwards and saw dubious looking pictures of myself where I looked as if I was six months knocked up. I tried the bread, I was, and have stayed converted. I adapted this recipe from one by the legendary Darina. The quantities are different and I've added a few bits so it's my recipe now!!! And now it's yours, enjoy, please make it and give me feedback. I always make two loaves as the effort is the same and I cut them in half and freeze the three halves, ah old age is creeping in when I get so overjoyously anal in my housewifely activities. Nice spelt bread is expensive to buy and rarely tastes as good as this.

For two loaves you will need: (for one loaf you can do the math)

1kg brown spelt flour, use Doves Farm or Macroom

2 tblsp fast action yeast, fresh yeast is better you can get it from Peter Ward at Country Choice in the Milk Market, and you need to double the amount

2 tsp salt

1 litre tepid water

1 tblsp honey or treacle (seen here in a manky tin)

2 hands-full rolled oats, or pinhead oatmeal, Flahavans of course

1 handfull mixed seeds plus extra for the top

2 non-stick loaf tins, lightly oiled with olive oil

1. Boil the kettle, in a measuring jug pour in about 200ml of hot water and dissolve the honey or treacle in this. Top it up to 1 litre with cold water and add the yeast, leave this for about ten minutes to foam up and get smelly. If you use fresh yeast it will jump around and spit at you, very entertaining.

2. In a huge bowl empty the bag of flour and mix in the salt. Pour in the watery, yeasty mix and stir to combine everything. Throw in the oats and seeds and stir until combined and that's that for the hard work. The mix will be a bit sloppy, that's how it's meant to be

3. Divide the mix between two loaf tins, smooth it a little and sprinkle over some more mixed seeds. You can leave out the seeds if you don't like them of course. Cover the tins with a clean tea towel and leave them somewhere warm-ish for about an hour to rise. Meanwhile have the oven heating up to 200degreesC

4. Put the tins in the oven and after ten minutes, turn the heat down to 180 degrees and bake them for about forty minutes. You will know they are ready when you tap on them and they sound hollow.

5. Take the tins out of the oven and leave to cool for about ten minutes. You could leave them cool fully like this but you will get a soggy crust and nobody likes a soggy crust. I usually turn them out, do it over a tea towel so you don't get seeds everywhere, and I put them back in the oven for a further ten minutes. This will give you a nice crust, turn off the oven and leave them cool in there or take them out and cool on a wire rack or somewhere they won't get sweaty.

Spelt is actually good for you, so feel free to gorge on this, as I do, with it slathered in butter, doused in hummus or laden with cheese. It's great toasted as it gets really crispy on the edges, enjoy!

I'm delighted to get this photo in from Susan who baked the bread and keeps doing so, the pic is a bit green but we get the picture, thanks Susan!

Comments

Thanks you for posting this recipe :-) I find that wheat bread alternatives in supermarkets are gross!! So it's great to have a spelt recipe (love spelt!)My problem is I'm not allowed to have yeast at the moment, so it it as simple as making the recipe without the yeast, or does it need adapting?

Hi Ger, sorry to hear you got a soggy middle. The most likely culprit is the ovens heat, ovens are temperamental and can vary a lot so I would give the bread a longer bake, try it for an hour, at 180degrees you won't be in any danger if it burning at that temp. Also be sure you leave it to rise long enough before you bake it, ideally until it almost touches the top of the tin. I hope it works out for you next time
Val

Hi Valerie,I've tried your spelt bread recipe to the letter but the loaf came out soggy in the middle,(1st time ever baking).The loaf looks lovely from the outside,but as I said damp inside,any help would be appreciated,thanks ger.

I tried the recipe and it turned out great! it honestly looked and tasted like a professional loaf of bread!! Thanks so much. By the way, I used the fresh yeast. I will see if it turns out as well when using the powdered version.

Hi, im going to try this spelt recipe today as im finding it hard to stay off bread even when i diet, and ive a big tummy compared to the rest of me! My bro in laws family eat nothing but spelt bread.
anyway my question is.... i have those easy blend yeast sachets. would i add one or two?
i love the fact there's no kneading in this... How does that work!?
thanks again
min

Thank you Val for a wonderful recipe. I've made it a few times now.
The first time I followed the recipe exactly - yummy! Subsequent times I played around with what I had in the pantry - one time I added a handful of sultanas to the sunflower seeds, and another time I used up dried thyme, oregano and basil from the garden with a handful of parmigiano cheese. Great on every occasion... and the freezing tip as that has worked very well too.
Many thanks, Sarah